In Diablo 4 , Blizzard changed the title for an achievement on July 8: The word “Predator” was changed to “Enemy”. This prompts Twitch streamer Asmongold, who sharply criticizes Blizzard for this change.
What kind of change is this:
- For the achievement of getting 25 wins in PvP, the title that could be displayed in Diablo 4 was originally “Predator”. In German, the title was “Prädator”.
- However, with a change on June 8, the title was changed to Enemy (German: Gegner).
- These titles can be displayed by players in Diablo 4 over their names.
Blizzard removes the word “Predator” from Diablo 4
Why is the title “Predator” problematic? The word “Predator” is often used in English in connection with sexually aggressive or even violent behavior. It is used to describe perpetrators committing sexual acts: A predator hunts a person out of sexual interest, just as a beast stalks its prey.
Rapists and child molesters in the USA are referred to as “sexual predators”.
In the USA, there was a popular TV show called “To Catch a Predator”, in which individuals were lured online to be exposed as pedophiles and arrested by the police.
Otherwise, the word “Predator” is primarily shaped by the action movie series with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Essentially, the term refers to an “animal that stalks another” and comes from the Latin word for “to seize”. It actually means something like “predatory animal”.
Why was it changed? Blizzard apparently wanted to remove the word “Predator” from Diablo 4 because they saw it as sexually negatively loaded and feared that a person could be triggered or made uncomfortable when meeting someone who had the word “Predator” in their name.
This change from “Prädator” to “Gegner” also occurred in German, although we in German daily life do not have this sexually connotated meaning of “Predator” – the word is anyway practically not used in German.
“Oversensitivity is getting boring”
What was the editorial response? There was a huge thread on Reddit about the topic. Most reacted with confusion to the change. The top comment mentions that this “oversensitivity is becoming boring”.
Others speak of a “false outrage” from people who cannot think for themselves.
Blizzard has attracted the most sensitive players on the internet for the last 10 years
Asmongold says: For Twitch streamer Asmongold, a Blizzard expert, this behavior fits Blizzard by now. He says:
I think, once again, such changes show that Blizzard has spent the last 10 years trying to attract the most sensitive babies on the internet to play their games. They have tried so hard to attract these sensitive pussies: These sensitive weaklings don’t want “Predator” in their game, so they get their way.
He elaborates that Blizzard is no longer what it used to be, that company is gone:
“The people who worked here before, the people who made the games you liked, those people probably belong in jail. And the new people, whose idea of fun is to add three effects that only work after death. On a mob. So saddle up. You are in for a hell of a ride.”
Asmongold believes the change happened because some people complained about the title and that Blizzard did not want to take the risk of being seen in a “weird light.”
Asmongold: No good story comes from Blizzard anymore – too much fear of real-life parallels
Blizzard is now overly cautious and would change things that are absurd for fear of another scandal: such as “a dragon lady with an attractive model.” There is no chance that Blizzard would get into a global sex scandal just because a model in WoW looks attractive.
With these changes, Blizzard would “suffocate” their story to death. One can no longer expect a good story from Blizzard because good stories deal with the “true nature of humanity.” These stories reflect real life.
Asmongold no longer expects such stories from Blizzard. They are too afraid to write stories with parallels to reality. Thus, there is also nothing left about the Scarlet Crusade in WoW because it was too close to hate groups from real life.
Indeed, the change fits with some “censorship” measures that Blizzard has implemented during the sex scandal; for example, they replaced naked women in WoW with fruit:
After sex scandal: WoW replaces half-naked woman with fruit
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